90 percent of Americans expressed anxiety about the status of the U.S. economy with just three weeks before the midterm elections, and 80 percent said inflation will have an impact on how they vote in November.
In a Politico/Morning Consult survey issued on Wednesday, over 10% more respondents say they trust Republicans more than Democrats to manage inflation at the congressional level, by a 46-37 percent margin.
According to the survey taken from October 14–16, the majority of Americans believe the Republicans in Congress are better able to manage matters like the economy and the job market. In terms of the broader economy, 46% of respondents said they trusted the GOP, and 45% said they thought Republicans could effectively manage the revival of the employment market.
As Republicans fight to regain control of the House and Senate in the midst of an economic crisis marked by 40-year high inflation and an oncoming recession, the survey represents yet another dismal outcome for Democrats.
The 2,005 Americans surveyed are pessimistic, with 53% predicting that the economy would only worse over the next year.
Republicans believe the economy will become worse by 71%, while Democrats believe the same thing by just 33%. 56 percent of independent voters feel it will probably become worse during the next year.
The majority of voters continue to believe that the nation is moving in the wrong direction for the 38th week in a row, according to the most recent survey, which indicated that 70% of respondents share this opinion.
But when given a generic vote, the two parties are still divided fairly equally. Democrats have 45 percent support, while Republicans only have 44 percent. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 2 percentage points, so it’s still unclear whether party will win the election as a whole.
Only 4% of poll respondents said that their voting decisions in the 2022 midterm elections will not be influenced by the state of the economy or inflation.
Inflation was cited as the main issue that will influence voters this year.
Second place went to crime by 16 percent, while employment and access to abortion matched for third place with 59 percent of respondents saying it would affect their vote.
Nevertheless, immigration made the list, with 55% of Americans saying it would influence their voting choices on November 8.
More than 90% of respondents say they are concerned about inflation, and a sizable majority—71%—say they are “extremely concerned” about the problem, which reached record highs this year and shows no signs of abating.
This is an increase of 5% from the August survey.
When questioned about their “top priority” when choosing who to vote for in November, 42% of respondents responded that economic concerns, which include inflation, gas costs, jobs, taxes, and unemployment, were at the top of their list.
In an effort to help Democrats in certain competitive districts, President Joe Biden is out on the campaign road this month.
With just 44 percent of respondents approving of the president’s performance as president and 54 percent disapproving, it is uncertain how much of a positive effect he will have.
Biden’s approval rating is averaging in the mid 40s according to data from various surveys collected by FiveThirtyEight.